US, EU hit Russia with new sanctions over Ukraine

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• US, EU hit Russia with new sanctions over Ukraine
• NY lawmaker pleads not guilty to U.S. fraud charges
• Stocks higher on deal hopes; BofA sinks
• Advertisers back away from NBA's LA Clippers
• France meets Alstom bidders with pledge to protect jobs
• Dani Alves eats banana in response to racist taunt
• Review: Garfield-Stone chemistry saves Spidey 2
• LA GOP Rep won't seek reelection
• Oldest-ever congressman faces biggest challenge
• Frontier Airlines now charging for carry-on bags
• Iraq police say suicide bomber blows himself up in Kurdish town in northeast, killing 25
• Beyonce, Jay Z to co-headline summer tour
• Number of Navajo homicides tops some metro areas
• Would-be EU leaders stage 1st TV debate
• Google says driving forward on autonomous car
• Report: Health exchanges' drug coverage confusing
• Republican congressman Grimm of NY indicted on fraud charges
• Egyptian court sentences top Muslim Brotherhood leader to death
• U.S. sanctions Putin allies as Ukraine violence goes on
• Tech firm fires CEO convicted of domestic violence
• Trainer Art Sherman seeking his own Derby win
• Tornado system that killed 16 heads toward U.S. Southeast
• Search ends for bodies in Washington mudslide
• Stowaway boy's refugee mom cries for son
• New US sanctions on Russian officials, companies
• Hall of Fame coach Ramsay dies at 89
• US troops, British planes deployed to Baltics over Ukraine
• Siemens offer for Alstom likely on Tuesday: source
• Berlin asks Russia to help free OSCE team in Ukraine
• A who's who of Putin's friends hit by US sanctions
• Paul Simon, Edie Brickell arrested in Connecticut
• Google: Driverless cars are mastering city streets
• Qatar's Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt
• Pfizer chases AstraZeneca for potential $100 billion deal
• Technology, bank stocks drag US market lower
• 50 killed in bomb attack on rally, police and troops voting in Iraq
• British and Iranian officials hold talks in Tehran
• AP PHOTOS: Tornados rip across Midwest
• Pfizer still pursuing AstraZeneca after 2nd rebuff
• Max Clifford found guilty of sex assaults

US, EU hit Russia with new sanctions over Ukraine Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its European allies hit more than two dozen Russian government officials, executives and companies with sanctions Monday as punishment for their country's actions in Ukraine, yet the penalties stopped short of targeting Russia's economy more broadly. In Moscow, there was relief that the sanctions were not as far-ranging as feared.

NY lawmaker pleads not guilty to U.S. fraud charges Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:58 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent who's been the target a campaign-finance investigation, was instead charged on Monday with evading taxes by concealing more than $1 million in sales and wages while running a small Manhattan restaurant — a case he called a political witch hunt meant to drive him out of office.

Stocks higher on deal hopes; BofA sinks Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:57 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks turned higher late Monday afternoon as a choppy day of trading drew to a close. Indexes swung in a wide range as investors tempered their enthusiasm over a potential $100 billion pharmaceutical deal with skepticism over Internet and other formerly highflying stocks. Bank stocks mostly fell after Bank of America said it would have to suspend its stock buyback plan and a dividend increase.

Advertisers back away from NBA's LA Clippers Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:57 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Advertisers are backing away from the Los Angeles Clippers after racist comments attributed to the NBA team's owner.

France meets Alstom bidders with pledge to protect jobs Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:56 PM PDT By Natalie Huet and Benjamin Mallet PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would defend jobs and its national interest as it met suitors eyeing a breakup of engineering group Alstom on Monday and suggested it preferred Germany's Siemens over U.S. giant General Electric. President Francois Hollande held talks with GE boss Jeff Immelt on Monday morning and sat down later with Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser to discuss the fate of Alstom, the maker of the country's prestigious TGV high-speed trains and turbines for power plants. "We won't let Alstom sell this national champion behind the back of its shareholders, its employees and the French government," Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg wrote on his official Twitter account before the meetings started, accusing Alstom's CEO Patrick Kron of "a breach of national ethics". Alstom, which is battling with big debts and falling demand, was bailed out by the French government in 2004 but now needs help again.

Dani Alves eats banana in response to racist taunt Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:55 PM PDT VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — Barcelona defender Dani Alves responded to a racist taunt Sunday in a game at Villarreal by picking up a banana that landed at his feet, peeling and then eating it before proceeding to take a corner kick.

Review: Garfield-Stone chemistry saves Spidey 2 Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:53 PM PDT Deep into "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," my 11-year-old companion was confused about a certain plot point — justifiably, I'd say — and demanded an immediate and thorough explanation.

LA GOP Rep won't seek reelection Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:52 PM PDT BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana GOP Rep. Vance McAllister says he's failed his family and let down his district by kissing a married female aide, but he says he'll serve out the remainder of his term.

Oldest-ever congressman faces biggest challenge Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:50 PM PDT ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) — When he was a boy and working in a pharmacy in this town east of Dallas, Ralph Hall once sold cigarettes and Coca-Cola to Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious bank robbers who would later die in a hail of lawmen gunfire.

Frontier Airlines now charging for carry-on bags Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:48 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Passengers beware: More airline fees are on their way.

Iraq police say suicide bomber blows himself up in Kurdish town in northeast, killing 25 Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:48 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq police say suicide bomber blows himself up in Kurdish town in northeast, killing 25 .

Beyonce, Jay Z to co-headline summer tour Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:45 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce and husband Jay Z will launch the co-headlining "On the Run Tour" on June 25 in Miami.

Number of Navajo homicides tops some metro areas Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:44 PM PDT FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — New FBI statistics show the vast Navajo Nation saw a sharp increase in the murder rate in 2013 and finished the year with 42 homicides, eclipsing major metropolitan areas with less space and far more people, like Seattle and Boston.

Would-be EU leaders stage 1st TV debate Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:41 PM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — Four would-be presidents of the European Union's executive arm clashed Monday evening in the first debate of its kind, each making a direct pitch on live TV for the support of European voters.

Google says driving forward on autonomous car Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:37 PM PDT Google said Monday it has made progress on its self-driving car and was "more optimistic" about its goal of developing a vehicle that can operate "without human intervention." In a blog post, Google said that since its last update in August 2012, "we've logged thousands of miles on the streets of our hometown of Mountain View, California" to refine the software needed for autonomous vehicles. Google, which has been testing self-driving cars since 2010, said it has overcome some of the obstacles in urban driving. "A mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area," said the post from Chris Urmson, head of Google's self-driving car project.

Report: Health exchanges' drug coverage confusing Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:35 PM PDT CHICAGO (AP) — Among the troubles with the federal government's health overhaul, the hunt for a health plan that would cover a particular drug or a favorite doctor proved frustrating for many consumers navigating the new insurance exchanges.

Republican congressman Grimm of NY indicted on fraud charges Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:35 PM PDT By Bernard Vaughan and Aruna Viswanatha NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican congressman Michael Grimm from New York was indicted on fraud charges in connection with a Manhattan fast-food restaurant he partly owned, according to court documents unsealed on Monday. The charges follow a federal probe of Grimm's fundraising that has been going on for more than two years and Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch told reporters a "larger investigation" was ongoing. Grimm is a former Marine who subsequently worked as an FBI agent. In January, he generated headlines when he threatened to throw a television reporter off a balcony after an interview in the U.S. Capitol on the night of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Egyptian court sentences top Muslim Brotherhood leader to death Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:33 PM PDT By Yasmine Saleh MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters to death on Monday, intensifying a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protests and political violence ahead of an election next month. The Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule". In another case signaling growing intolerance of dissent by military-backed authorities, a pro-democracy movement that helped ignite the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was banned by court order, judicial sources said. The death sentence passed on Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood's general guide, will infuriate members of the group, which has been the target of raids, arrests and bans since the army forced President Mohamed Mursi from power in July.

U.S. sanctions Putin allies as Ukraine violence goes on Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:32 PM PDT By Maria Tsvetkova and Thomas Grove DONETSK/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - The United States imposed new sanctions on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, prompting Moscow to denounce "Cold War" tactics amid more violence in eastern Ukraine. Banning visas and freezing assets of the likes of Putin's friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft, also drew fire from President Barack Obama's domestic critics, who called it a "slap on the wrist", even as European allies wrangled over how to follow suit without badly hurting their own economies. The new round of sanctions, following those imposed last month when Russia annexed Crimea, barely registered in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels were holding a group of German and other OSCE military observers for a fourth day.

Tech firm fires CEO convicted of domestic violence Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:30 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A wealthy Internet entrepreneur recently convicted of domestic violence has been terminated as CEO of a San Francisco startup online advertising company.

Trainer Art Sherman seeking his own Derby win Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:29 PM PDT LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Art Sherman knows what it's like to be at the Kentucky Derby with a brilliant colt that wins the race.

Tornado system that killed 16 heads toward U.S. Southeast Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:29 PM PDT By Colin Sims VILONIA, Arkansas (Reuters) - A ferocious storm system threatened tens of millions of people across the U.S. Southeast on Monday, a day after it spawned a series of tornadoes that killed 16 people, injured more than 100 and tossed cars around like toys in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Rescue workers, volunteers and victims have been sifting through the rubble in the hardest-hit state of Arkansas, looking for survivors in central Faulkner County where a tornado reduced homes to splinters, snapped power lines and mangled countless trees. The National Weather Service said there was a tornado risk for Mississippi, Alabama and western Georgia as the storm system that produced the twisters headed east toward the Mid-Atlantic states. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said at least 14 people died in the state in the storm authorities said produced the first fatalities of this year's U.S. tornado season.

Search ends for bodies in Washington mudslide Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:25 PM PDT EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Authorities are ending the active search for bodies more than five weeks after the Washington state mudslide.

Stowaway boy's refugee mom cries for son Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:20 PM PDT SHEDDER REFUGEE CAMP, Ethiopia (AP) — The Somali woman lives in a stick hut covered by ragged blankets in this dusty refugee camp. It was here that her 15-year-old son wanted to travel on a perilous journey as a stowaway on a plane from California.

New US sanctions on Russian officials, companies Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:18 PM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States imposed new sanctions Monday on seven Russian government officials, as well as 17 companies with links to Vladimir Putin's close associates, as the Obama administration sought to pressure the Russian leader to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.

Hall of Fame coach Ramsay dies at 89 Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:17 PM PDT Jack Ramsay, a Hall of Fame coach who guided NBA clubs for 21 years, died in his sleep Monday at age 89 after a long battle with cancer. Ramsay won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and compiled an 864-783 record with 17 playoff appearances over more than two decades in stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Portland, Buffalo Braves and Indiana Pacers. "Jack was a great man and I don't use that term lightly," said NBA legend and Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. "His contributions to the game, as a coach, advisor, broadcaster will endure forever.

US troops, British planes deployed to Baltics over Ukraine Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:17 PM PDT TALLINN/VILNIUS (Reuters) - The last deployment of U.S. troops arrived in the Baltics with four British fighter jets on Monday as NATO steps up efforts to reassure its allies in the face of Russian tensions with the West over Ukraine. Four British Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets landed in Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania, the first of 12 fighters that will boost air patrols in the Baltics, and 150 U.S. troops were deployed to the Amari air base in Estonia. The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have small military forces and have been warily watching Russia reasserting itself in its former dominions. A total of 600 U.S. troops have now been deployed to Poland and the Baltics for infantry exercises, where they are expected to remain on rotation until the end of the year.

Siemens offer for Alstom likely on Tuesday: source Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:16 PM PDT Germany's Siemens is due to present its offer for a possible deal with French peer Alstom on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. "The Siemens' offer should be confirmed tomorrow during the day," the source said. He added that the French state believed that Alstom should take the time necessary to examine all the offers on the table. A spokesman for Siemens in Munich did not confirm the information.

Berlin asks Russia to help free OSCE team in Ukraine Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:16 PM PDT Germany urged Moscow on Monday to use its influence on pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to secure the release of European military observers being held in the city of Slaviansk. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin condemned the detention of the team from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including four Germans, calling it "against the law and without justification". "We ask the Russian government to act publicly and internally for their release, to distance itself clearly from such acts and to use its influence on pro-Russian perpetrators and forces in eastern Ukraine to secure their release," he said. Seibert said the presence of armed masked men when the OSCE observers were paraded before the media in Slaviansk on Sunday - in what he called a "revolting spectacle" - made it clear beyond any doubt that they were the hostages of the city's self-styled mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov.

A who's who of Putin's friends hit by US sanctions Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:15 PM PDT MOSCOW (AP) — The seven people from Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle targeted with U.S. sanctions on Monday include men who have helped Putin restore Kremlin control over Russia's economy and its political system. They have been tasked with carrying out some of Putin's most ambitious projects, most notably his plans to make Crimea an integral part of Russia after seizing the peninsula from Ukraine.

Paul Simon, Edie Brickell arrested in Connecticut Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:12 PM PDT NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Paul Simon and his wife, Edie Brickell, were arrested on disorderly conduct charges by officers investigating a family dispute, but the couple held hands in court Monday and said they did not feel threatened by the other.

Google: Driverless cars are mastering city streets Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:09 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google says that cars it has programmed to drive themselves have started to master the navigation of city streets and the challenges they bring, from jaywalkers to weaving bicyclists — a critical milestone for any commercially available self-driving car technology.

Qatar's Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:08 PM PDT By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a $150 million compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its media business inflicted by Cairo's military-backed rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations. In a move aimed at drawing attention to what Al Jazeera calls Egypt's unacceptable treatment of it and its journalists, a lawyer acting for the pan-Arab channel told Reuters he had handed a legal document detailing the claim to a representative of the Egyptian government. Egypt had begun a "sustained campaign" against Al Jazeera and its journalists after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July last year, said Cameron Doley, a lawyer at London law firm Carter-Ruck, which is handling the case.

Pfizer chases AstraZeneca for potential $100 billion deal Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:06 PM PDT By Ben Hirschler and Ransdell Pierson LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc approached Britain's AstraZeneca Plc two days ago to reignite a potential $100 billion takeover and was rebuffed, raising investor expectations it will have to increase its offer to close the deal. Pfizer said on Monday it proposed a takeover to AstraZeneca in January worth 58.8 billion pounds ($98.9 billion), or nearly 47 pounds per share. AstraZeneca shares were up 11.7 percent at $76.69 in New York on news of the latest offer, which would be the biggest foreign acquisition of a British company and one of the largest pharmaceutical deals. Pfizer shares were up 3.8 percent at $31.92 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday afternoon.

Technology, bank stocks drag US market lower Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:05 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks mostly fell Monday afternoon, led by declines in technology and bank stocks, as investors' excitement about a potential blockbuster pharmaceutical deal was snuffed out.

50 killed in bomb attack on rally, police and troops voting in Iraq Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:02 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fifty people were killed on Monday as suicide bombers attacked a political rally and Iraqi police and soldiers cast their votes early for a national election in two days' time, authorities and witnesses said. A suicide attacker killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others at a Kurdish political gathering in the town of Khanaqin, 140 km (100 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security sources said. The Kurds were celebrating the television appearance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd incapacitated since late 2012, who cast his vote in Germany where he was undergoing medical treatment. "The attacker snuck among the crowds near the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's headquarters and blew himself up, causing a tragic massacre," one police officer said, sobbing after he discovered his brother was among those killed.

British and Iranian officials hold talks in Tehran Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:01 PM PDT A senior British diplomat made a brief visit to Tehran on Monday for talks with officials on the strained ties between the two countries and on Iran's nuclear programme, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported. Earlier, IRNA said Tehran and London were looking to restore full diplomatic ties, all but severed after a 2011 raid on Britain's embassy in the Iranian capital.

AP PHOTOS: Tornados rip across Midwest Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:01 PM PDT Emergency workers are searching through rubble left in the wake of a series of deadly tornadoes and severe weather, the worst of which hit suburban Little Rock, Ark., Sunday night.

Pfizer still pursuing AstraZeneca after 2nd rebuff Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Pfizer Inc. was turned down twice by fellow drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC, but the maker of Viagra and Lipitor said Monday that its proposed $100 billion acquisition makes sense for shareholders of both companies, and it's considering its next steps.

Max Clifford found guilty of sex assaults Posted: 28 Apr 2014 11:57 AM PDT Max Clifford, 71, whose celebrity clients have included TV music mogul Simon Cowell and U.S. boxer Muhammad Ali, was charged with 11 counts of sexually assaulting seven girls aged 14 to 19 between 1966 and 1984. A jury cleared him on two of these charges and was unable to reach a verdict on the final charge, a spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said. Clifford was arrested in December 2012 as part of an investigation into historic sexual assault cases, code-named Operation Yewtree, triggered by revelations that the late BBC TV presenter Jimmy Savile was a prolific sex offender over decades. During the five week trial, the prosecution portrayed Clifford as a master in the art of intimidation and manipulation who used his power and celebrity contacts to prey on girls by promising to introduce them to stars for sex acts.

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